Knitting machine and method of operating same



Dec. 9, 1947. H. E. HAEHNEL KHITTIHG MACHINE AND METHOD OF OPERATINGSAME INVENTOR Herlie Hzdme ORNEY KNITTING MACHINE AND METHOD 0FOPERATING sAME Y H. E. HAEHNEL Dec. 9, 1947.

Filed Sept. 14, M 1943 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 9, 1947. H. E. HAl-:HNl-:L2,432,413

KNITTING MACHINE AND METHOD OF OPERATINGl SAME 'Filed sept. 14. 194:5 vs sheds-sheet s Dec. 9, 1947. i H. E. HAEHNEL KNITTIHG MACHINE ANDMETHOD. 0F OPERATING SAME Filed Sept. 14,` 1943 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Dec. 9,1947. H. E. HAEHNEL KNITTING MACHINE AND METHOD OF OPERATING SAME FiledSept. 14, 1943 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 i 96 ,gf-'127 115 Dec. 1947. Y H.'E.HAEHN'EL 2.432.413

KNITTING MACHINE AND METHOD 0F OPERATING SAME y Filed sept. 14, 1943 6sheets-'sheet 6 Patented Dec. 9, 14947g KNITTING MACHINE AND METHOD OFOPERATING SAME Herbert Erich Haehnel, West Reading, Ta., as-

signor to Textile Machine Works, Wyomissing, Pa., a corporation ofPennsylvania Applicationlseptember 14, 1943,1SerialN'o. 502,359

(Cl. (i6-89) 25 Claims.

The present invention Vrelates to full-fashioned knitting machines andmore particularly to improvements in the fashioning mechanism for suchmachines.

It is standard practise to equip both ends of full-fashioned knittingmachines with narrowing heads including two threaded spindles, one formoving the position of the end stops for the yarn carrier rods and onefor moving the combs for the points. Said spindles are used singly and'together in producing a variety of eilects in the iabric knitted on themachines, necessitating that the means for turning said spindles bereadily adaptable to the particular conditions determined by the desiredfabric effect. lThe means for turning said spindles has `for a long timeincluded ratchet wheels fixe-d to the spindles and pawls for rackingsaid ratchets moved by an actuator member having an up and down motion.Said pawls have been arranged in groups `to turn the spindles in eitherthe lnarrowing direction or the widening direction as desired. Usually,the pawls for turning the spindles in the narrowing direction haveoperated on the upstroke of the actuator and the pawls for turning thespindles in the widening direction have operated on the downstroke ofthe actuator.

Wsf-wstroke oi the actuator to effect both narrowing and widening of thefabric being knitted, thus facilitating the use also of the back-rackingpawl in widening operations. However, when the fabric is to be widenedby the movement of the end stops only, i. e. by increasing the travel ofthe yarn carrier rods, the arrangement in which all but the back-rackingpawl operate on the upstroke of the actuator, it is during this part ofthe operatingcycle in which the widening pawl for the end stop spindlemoves up that the yarn carrier rods strike the end stops, and the endstop spindle being free to move in the widening direction at this time,the impact of the yarn carrier rods 4on the` end stops frequently movesthe end stops beyond their proper positions, thereby causingirregularities in the fabric and/or diniculties .in the machineoperation.

2 It is therefore 7an object of the `invention to provide in thenarrowing head of full-fashioned `knitting machines wideningmeans whichwillprevent the stops from moving in the Widening direction in .responseto blows from the Ayarn carrier rods.

A further object of the invention is to provide a latch `pawl for the.end stop .spindle of a fullfashioned knitting machine for preventing theend stops from moving under the impact of the yarn carrier'rods, andmeans to control it to permit turning said spindle in the wideningdirection.

Another object of the invention is to provide operating means in:connection with the latching pawl iorthe end-stop spindle of afull-fashioned knitting machine, such means being adapted to initiallyengage the latching pawl on the upstroke oi the actuator to permitindexing of the end stop spindle and also to -prevent lthe said indexingbeyorrd a limited predetermined movement.

Another object of the invention is to combine a vmeans for operating alatch pawl for the end stop spindle with the locking plunger for Vthestandard lock dial for said spindle.

Another object is to simplify and increase the adaptability of thespindle operating means for use in performing a number of diierentfunctions.

Wth these and other objects in view, which will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description of the illustrative embodiment of theinvention shown in the accompanying drawings, the 'present inventionresides in the novel elements, features of construction and arrangementof parts in cooperative relationship as hereinafter more particularlyvpointe-d out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a partial end View of a full-fashioned knitting machinehaving the invention applied thereto in connection with the spindleoperating mechanism;

Eig. 2 is a View of the mechanism shown at the upper partfof Fig. 1,enlarged relative thereto, certain parts being added and 'others brokenaway;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to a portioniof Fig. 2 but with certain of theparts in diiTeren-t relative positions;

Fig. 4 is an elevational View of the mechanism as viewed from the rightof Fig, 2;

Fig. 5 is a view taken substantially along the line 5--5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a partial front elevation of the left end Yof the machineshowing .certain of the spindle operating mechanism and control meanstherefore;

Fig. 7 is a detail view partially in section taken along the line 7-7 ofFig. 8;

Fig. 8 is a View taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a View taken substantially along the line 9 9 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a detail view similar to the left portion of Fig. 3, certainparts being broken away and others omitted;

Fig. 1l is a top plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 10 andincluding the left carrier rod end stops of the machine;

Fig. 12 is a sectional View taken substantially along the line |2-l2 ofFig. 10;

Fig. 13 is a detail view of certain of the mechanismshown at the rightcenter of Fig. 2 but with the parts in different relative positions; and

Fig. 14 is a top plan of the mechanism as viewed in the direction of thearrows lil- I4 of Fig. 13.

In the drawings and description, only the means i and method necessaryto a complete understanding of the invention have been specifically setforth; further information as to the construction and operation of otherrelated, usual and well known knitting machine elements, mechanisms,etc., may be found in one or more of the following publications 1.Pamphlet entitled-Full-Fashioned Knitting Machines-published andcopyrighted by the TeX- 'le Machine Works, Reading, Pennsylvania, in1920.

2. Three Catalogs entitled-The Reading Full-Fashioned Knitting MachineParts Cataleg-published and copyrighted by the Textile Machine Works, in1929, 1935 and 1940, respectively.

3. Booklet entitled-The Reading High-Production Full-Fashioned KnittingMachine-which forms a supplement to the above noted 1940 Parts Catalogof the Textile Machine Works, and which booklet is a publication of theTextile Machine Works, and was copyrighted by the latter in 1940.

4. Pamphlet entitled-Knitting Machine Lectures-published by theWyomissing Polytechnic Institute, Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, in 1935.

An apparatus within the invention such as that shown in the drawingsincludes a narrowing head of a full-fashioned knitting machine. Saidhead includes two threaded spindles, an end stop or carrier spindle anda narrowing point comb spindle together with means for turning saidspindles either singly or together as circumstances may require, andmeans for holding the spindles against turning in either direction whenthe turning means is not to be used. Said turning means includes pawlsand control means therefor, one pawl for each spindle being used forturning it in the narrowing direction and one pawl for the end stopspindles being used to turn it in the widening direction and two pawlsfor the comb spindle being used to turn it in the widening direction andsaid holding means includes dials and spring plungers seating in notchesin the dials of which the dials for the end stop spindles have eachsubstantially square notches so that they hold the spindle againstturning when the carrier rods strike one or the other of the groups ofend stops. All the said pawls except the `second widening pawl for thecomb spindle act against their corresponding ratchet wheels on theupstroke of the actuator onwhich all the widening pawls are mounted.However, the pawls acting on the upstroke of the actuator engage theirratchet wheelsnear the beginning of a revolution of the cam shaft andtherefore the pawls for narrowing must be thrown clear of their ratchetwheels and maintained clear thereof at the start of a revolution inwhich there is to be a widening action while the locking dial for thestop spindle is automatically released at the beginning of an upwardmovement of the actuator. But the yarn carrier rods operate duringcertain widening cycles and strike their stops during the .first part ofthe revolution tending to move the stops outward in the wideningdirection when the locking dial for the stop spindle is disengaged.invention,` a latch means is provided for holding the end stop spindleagainst turning under the impact of the yarn carrier rods. Further,means is provided in accordance with the present invention whereby thelatch means is thrown out of latching position in time to permit thewidening pawl to act on the carrier spindle and then restored to thelatching position prior to the time the carrier rods strike the stops.Preferably, the means for controlling the said latching pawl isassociated with the usual means for lifting the plunger for holding thelocking dial and comprises preferably a finger so mounted on theoscillating arm forming part of Said means as to turn on a pivot on saidoscillating arm as such arm carries the pivot downward so as to dropbelow the latch pawl but to act rigidly with said arm to lift the latchpawl as said arm carries the finger upward.

The spindle operating and controlling mechanism herein disclosed is veryflexible being adaptable to at least ve different conditions of oper,-

ations:

(a) two needle narrowing by both the end stops and combs;

(b) two needle narrowing as under (a) with operation of the back-rackingpawl to incline the line of the fashion marks to the selvage;

(c) widening by means of the end stops alone with two one needlemovements of the combs produced one by the widening pawl and one by theback-racking pawl to maintain the combs in a desired relation to the endstops;

(d) widening one needle by the combs and two by the end stops with anadditional one needle movement of the combs produced by the back-Aracking pawl to maintain the combs in a given desired relation to theend stops and (e) lace making by a lace attachment while the combspindle is out of commission and the fabric is fashioned or shapedV bymoving the end stops.

Further, according to the present invention, the controlling means forthe spindle operating pawls is made more direct, more simple and moreconvenient to install in that the generally vertical rod for operatingthe cams for controlling the pawls is placed at the rear of the machineinstead of at the front. The drawings of the present disclosure alsoshow novel means within the present invention for controlling some ofthe pawls ordinarily forming part of the means for turning the spindlesof a narrowing head.

Referring to the drawings, the full-fashioned knitting machine showntherein includes a framework 29 (Fig. 1) having transverse end frames 30and transverse center frames (not shown) on which is a front beam 3|(Fig. 6) and a back-beam 32 tying the transverse frames together. Onsaid frame-work are mounted the necessary mechanisms, arranged largelyin sepa- In accordance with the present rate knitting sections, forknitting flat fashioned, .Fabric blanks such as are used in makingfull-A iashioned hosiery.` Said mechanisms. include sets of generallyvertical spring beard needles and means for giving them movementsnecessary for knitting yarn into blanks, one blank to a knittingsection. fis well known, yarn for knitting is :l on the noses ofreciprocatory sinkers and ers which are mounted to move horizontally'oker heads.

The yarn is laid by yarn carriers, one for each knitting section whichare reciprocated by a cculiering i ieans so as to lay yarn parallel toand near the line formed by the stems of the needles and` on the heardsides thereof. The sinkers are Ned alternately with the dividers andsaid ng means includes slur cams o-ne for each knitting section. whichfollow the yarn carriers while moving alone a line parallel to the yarncarriers to slur the'sinkers forward and kink the yarn between pairs ofneedles to thereby measure off the yarn needed to Ineke loops. Themeasured yarn is thereafter divided by the dividers to provide a yarnknk nn both sides of each needle in use and the needle beards catchtheyarp, bights which lie against the stems of the needles and draw thebights down through the loops, of the previous course to form a newcourse of loops. Said yarn carriers are xed to yarn carrier roes 28,certain of which ere shown in Fig, ll and which are coupled in turn toparts of the cculering means whereby they are reciorocated between end33 best shown in 2 and il. Two eroi1pof stops S3 are provided. one ateach end ci the paths of travel of the yarn carrier rods 28 to limit thet-hrow of the carrier ro-ds to thereby determine the number of needlesin each. section to which yarn is laid and thereby determine the widthof the blank for a setting of thel stops. Said s'ops 33 are mounted ounuts which have threaded engagement with rotatable spindles Sill. one ateach of tlc-e machine. Parallel ro each spindle lili is. a threadedspindle 3S on which are nuts (not shown) for controlling the position ofrods on which. mounted point comb-s for shaping or fashioning the fabricby narrowing and widenir g it but more commonly used for narrowing andtherefore usually known as narrowingr rods, while a pair of saidspindles and the atiendant mechanism are commonly referred to as anarrowing head. The spindles 3d and 3d at each end of the machine areoperated either in the clockwise direction. the narrowing direction. asviewed in Fig. 1 or in the connterclockwise direction, the wideningdirection, as viewed in Fig. l.

A mechanism forming part or all full-fashioned knitting machines andcommonly functioning at the same times as the narrowing head is thenarrowing machine. The narrowing machine comprises a set of heavy curvedarms pivotally mounted on a shaft (not shown) at the rear of the machineframe known as the back narrowing shaft and extending upwardly andforwardly therefrom to the front of the machine where they are pivotedto a front narrowing shaft. The front narrowing shaft has supportedtherefrom brackets which carry, among other things, said rods, so-callednarrowing rods, for carrying said combs which include points forengaging loops on selected knitting needles, lifting said loops from theneedles and transferringr the loop-s to other needles. The weight ofsaid front narrowing' shaft is supported on links which may be elevatedand held in the elevated position to hold the narrowingmachine out ofoperation butI which are connected at their lower ends to levers havingcam followersthereon, commonly roller type followers. When the narrowingmachine to beused, said links are lowered, either b-y hand or by a meanscontrolled by the pattern mechanism of the machine, so that saidfollowers rest on round disks and the narrowing machine is inactive solong as the machine continues inthe knitting position. When now thenarrowing machine is to operate, the pattern means throws into operationa means which shogs the main cam shaft longitudinally tothe right of itsknitting position as viewed from the fro-nt of the machine to thenarrowing position in which said followers rest Von cam disks. As thecamshaft revolves, said cam disks lower the narrowing machine so thatone or more points on the combs move into engagement with loops on theneedles. The cams for the narrowing machine then lift it enough so thatthe points clear the needles. At this time, the spindles d@ and Se areoperated, either in the narrowing or the widening direction asdetermined by the pattern means, to shift the narrowing rods one or twoneedles as desired. The cams for the narrowing machine then dip themachine again so that the points 0n the combs restore the'looos whichhad been lifted to needles then in line with the points. The cams forthe narrowing machine then lift it so the points are above the needles`and the cam shaft is .shifted back to knitting position. It will beunderstood` further, that the couliering means, of which the yarncarriers forma part. is automatic-ally disconnected from the cam shaftand is thereiore inoperative while the cam shaft is in its right ornarrowing position. Therefore. the yarn carrier rods do not operate andno yarn'is laid during revolutions or cycles of the main cam shaft inwhich the narrowing machine is operated.

Another mechanism forming part of all fullfashioned knitting machines isthe main pattern mechanism (not shown) which comprises a pattern chaincomposed of links on which buttons may be paced which cooperate withlevers and/orrods connected to the levers for throwing into actionvarious mechanisms in the machine which are intermittent in action.

The means for operating spindles 3d and 35 to turn them in the desireddirections comp-rises a main `earn shaft 58 extending longitudinally ofthe machne and adapted to be shogged longitudinally of itself from aknitting to a fashioning position and backno yarn being laid when thecam shaft is in its fashioning position. On shaft 33 are shown two cams3S and d (Figs. l, 6 and 8)' which transmit through a suitable train ofmechanism impulses to turn said spindles, said cams 39 and ltltbeingspaced somewhat longitudinally on shaft 3S. Said mechanism includes aeenerally horizontal lever il! running transversely of shaft 3g andpivoted at l2 at its forwardend. Lever 4i has a split section d3intermediate its ends the spaced sides of which alford bearings for aspindle it for a roller type cam follower 45 whichv is adapted tocooperate with either cam is? or di? but which for the most part lies-in'aplane intermediate those of 'cams 39 and llt. t its rear end, leverlil has a pivoted connection at l with the lower end of an actuatorfl'l, a stop screw @i8 supported from the framework 2li serving tosupport by contact with the pivot i5 vthe weight of the levert! and ofthe actuator il as well'a-s the downward pull of a spring 69 connectedto `ways move together.

lever 4| and which serves to hold the follower 45 against cam 39 or 40when in use. When follower 45 cooperates with either cam 39 or 40,'

lever 4| is oscillated and thereby produces an upstroke followed by adownstroke of the actuator.

At its upper end actuator 41 is branched to afford connections for pawlsfor turning spindles 34 and 36. Five such pawls are shown in all (Figs.1, 2 and 3), a narrowing pawl 50 for end stop spindle 34, a wideningpawl 5| for end stop spindle 34, a narrowing pawl 52 for comb spindle 36and a widening pawl 53 for comb spindle 36 and a second widening pawl orback-racking pawl 54 for comb spindle 36. Spindle 34 has two ratchetsxed thereon, a ratchet 51 for pawl 50 and a ratchet 58 for pawl 5|.Also, spindle 36 has a ratchet 59 for pawl 52 and a ratchet 6| for pawls53 and 54. Said pawls 50 to 53 inclusive all act to turn theirA spindleson the upstroke of the actuator 41 whereas pawl 54 acts to turn spindle36 on the downstroke of the actuator. Pawls 5|, 53 and 54 all arepivoted directly on actuator 41 while pawls 50 and 52 are pivoteddirectly on levers 62 and 63 respectively, lever 62 being pivoted onspindle 34 (Fig. 5) and lever 63 on spindle 36 (Fig. 4). Actuator 41 ispivoted to lever 62 at point 64 (Fig. 2) and actuator 41 being connectedto lever 63 by a link 66 pivoted at both ends. Lever 62 is shown ashaving a bell-crank form for reasons pointed out hereinbelow.

When both spindles are to operate, pawls 5|) and 52 act at the same timefor narrowing movements of the spindles ywhile pawls 5| and 53 act atthe same time for widening movements of the spindles. For determiningwhich one of said two pairs of pawls is to act at the time of a givenreciprocation of actuator 41, two control cams 61 and 68 are provided,one on spindle 34 and one on spindle 36. Cams 61 and 68 are formed fromflat plates and are mounted to turn on the spindles, a link 69 pivotedto both cams connecting themnear theirtop edges so that they al- Meansfor turning cams 61 and 68 on the spindles will be describedhereinbelow. Further, a link 1| connects the narrowing pawls 50 and 52so that pawl 52 is thrown out of active position and thrown into activeposition when pawl 50 is moved out of `and into such positions but,owing :to a pin and slotl connection and between link 1| and pawl 52 at12 providing lost motion, the pawl 52 can be thrown out of actionwithout throwing pawl 59 lout of action. Widening pawls 5| and 53 haveno direct linkage therebetween, but both pawls are urged toward theiractive positions by springs, spring 13 for pawl 5| and spring14 for pawl53. As shown pawls 59, 5| and 53 have pins or projections 16, 11 and 18respectively thereon so positioned that they are contacted by cams 61and 58 to swing one set or the other of the pawls out of active positionas desired. Also, spring 13 is connected to a pivot point; 19 and spring14 is connected to pawl 54, while pawl 54 is connected to pivot point 19by a link 8|. Link 8| has a lost motion connection with pawl 54 at point82 whereby pawl 54 may be held out of action when desired as hereinafterset forth. However, the tension of spring 14 is suflicient so that pawls53 and 54 can be used in the same revolution of the cam shaft ifdesired, pawl 53 being held by cam 68 at such times so as to rackspindle 36 only one tooth at Va time, pawl 54 then racking the spindleanother tooth in the same revolution and in the same direction. Pawl 54can also, of course, be used during the same revolution that pawl 52 isused,

pawl 52 turning spindle 36 two teeth in one direction and pawl 54turning spindle 36 one tooth in the opposite direction, this being themore vordinary occasion for the u-se of back-racking' pawl 54.

It will be seen that for controlling pawl 54 pivot point 19 to which oneend of link 8| is connected is at the lower end of an arm 83. .Arm 83 isfixed to a shaft 84 which is pivotally mounted along the rear of themachine at about the level of the spindle 34 and 36 and which is part ofa means for controlling the position of link 8| and thereby the pawl 54the action of which is, in general, Well known. Also, pawl 5! extendsbelow its pivotl and its lower end is pivotally connected by a', link 86with pivot point; 19, so that Apawl 5| cannot drop into position to rackspindle 34 when pawl 54 is held out of action by link 8|, irrespectiveof the position of cam 61. Further, the means Afor controlling pawl 54is so arranged that on arm 81, Fig. 2, is rigid with and travels withthe nut 35 on lwhich the end stops 33 are mounted. Arm 81 carries acontact plate 88 on its front face which, as the spindle 34 moves nut 35along, presses against a cam or cams xed to a bar 89 xed to the upperend of arm 83 and above shaft 84, lso that contact of plate 88 with anyone of certain cams on bar 89 turns the upper end of lever 83 to theright and the lower end to the left as viewed in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 todraw pawl 54 out of active position with respect to spindle 36. On theother hand, when plate 88 is out of contact with the cams on bar 89 thelower end of lever 83 swings to the right under the influence of spring13 to permit spring 14 to draw pawl 54 into position to rack the spindle36. None of the features of said means for controlling pawl 54, however,forms a part of the present invention.

Preferably the means for moving and controlling cams 61 and 68 iscombined in large measure with the means for moving and controlling thefollower 45 to cause operations of the actuator 41 when desired. Saidcombined means comprises a lever 93 pivoted intermediate its ends toswing abouta vertical pivot and having a fork 94 at its front endembracing the edge of the follower 45. The rear end of lever 93 is shownas curved downwardly close to the side of the beam 32 where it extendsbetween two collars 96, 96 (Figs. '1 and 8) on a rod 91 which runsalongside beam 32 and is controlled by the pattern chain. Consequently,when rod 91 is shifted longitudinally of itself and the beam 32 by meansabout to be described, lever 93 swings on its pivot to shift follower45. Rod 91 is held normally toward the right as viewed in Fig. 8 by acoil spring 98 which surrounds rod 91 and one end of which pressesagainst a collar 99 on the rod while the other end of the spring pressesagainst a bracket |92 fixed to beam 32 and which surrounds and helps tosupport rod 91. Rod 91 is shifted against the pressure of spring 98 by abell-crank lever |63, shown in Fig. 7. Lever |03 is pivoted at |54 on abracket |66 fixed to beam 32 and has an arm |91 which extends downwardalongside a collar |08 on rod 91 and which is positioned so that, aslever |03 swings clockwise as viewed in Figs. '1 and 8, rod 91 is pushedleftward against the pressure of spring 98. The spring 98 moves rod 91to the right when the lever returns to its position in Fig. 7. Forswinging lever |03 from the position shown, a lever |09 is providedwhich is pivoted at on the aesafiie` 9 bracket |06 lfixed to the backbeam 32. Lever |09 is connected by linkage I3, best shown perhaps inFig. 9, to the upper end of lever |63. A tension spring 4 is connectedto lever |09 forward of pivot i I tending to pull the forward end oflever |09 downward and its rear end upward to thereby turn lever |03 tomove rod 91 toward the left against the pressure of its spring 98, Lever|09 has a roller type cam follower |6 pivoted thereon which is adaptedto cooperate with a cam |I1 on the main cam shaft 38. During knittingoperations and narrowing operations, the forward end of lever |09 issupported by a lever H6 pivoted at 9 on a bracket |2| supported from thefront beam 3| as shown in Fig. 6. When narrowing is to be performed, themain pattern mechanism of the machine (not shown) throws into operationthe mechanism for shogging cam shaft 38 to the right (as viewed from thefront of the machine), the lever IIS, lever |99 and rod 91 remainingstationary so that follower 45 remains stationary. However, the movementof shaft 38 is just enough to bring cam 39 into the same plane asfollower 45 without requiring movement of the cam follower, so thatactuator 41 is moved up and down to produce narrowing, the cams 61 and63 standing normally in positions such that narrowing pawls 50 and 52are active. In this case, the end stops and narrowing rods are bothmoved two needles, pawls 59 and 52 acting on spindles 34 and 36 to thiseffect. This occursY on the upstroke of actuator 41. However, in casethe back-racking pawl 54 is in active position, it then moves spindle 36one needle in the widening direction to move the combs outward a likedistance. This action of pawl 54 causes the lines of fashion marks toincline toward the selvages. It will be noted further, that cam i1 iswide enough in the direction longitudinally of shaft 38 so that itcooperates properly with follower |I6 both when shaft 38 shifts and whenit does not.

Lever ||8 is, however, controlled by the main pattern chain mechanismsothat lever i I8 is withdrawn from beneath lever |09 when a wideningoperation is tc be performed. To permit such control, lever I I8 isshown as having a projection |22 which extends forwardly from the frontface of the lever, said projection I 22 being pivotally connected to oneend of a link |29 which is pivotally connected at its other end to alever (not shown) forming part of said pattern mechanism. On the patternchain forming part of said pattern mechanism, buttons are placed inpositions to cause the desired widening actions of the spindles 34 and36. When one of said buttons strikes said lever in the patterning means,the lever is operated to move link |23 to in turn to move lever H3 outfrom under the forward end of 1ever |09, thereby permitting follower H6`to contact cam i1, and operate lever |09, which action moves lever 93and thereby follower C15 so that the follower is inthe same plane as cam40. At the same time, rod 91 moves a link |24 which forms a part of themeans for turning and controlling the cams $1 and 68 so that they occupypositions throwingoff the narrowingpawls and'permitting, except forother pawl controlling means which may be in use at the same time as cam40, the widening pawls to operate.` As the cam shaft33 approaches theend of the revolution in which a widening operation hasbeen performed,the button which operated link |23 releases the link. Atthe same time,or 'thereabout, the cam I i1 elevates lever |09 and a spring (notsho'wnl'y moves link |23 to swing lever I8 back under lever |09 sothatlever |09 `is supported in elevated position until the pattern chainagain removes lever I I 8 from beneath it. As appears in Figs. 7 and 8,lever IIB has a projection |26 at its upper end adapted to engage theleft face of lever |09, as viewed from the front, as lever H8 swingsbeneath lever |09 and to prevent the lever ||9 from swinging past lever|09.

Said controlling means for cams 01 and 68 includes an arrangementWhereby,at its right hand end as viewed in Fig. 8, the link |24 ispivotally connected at `|21 tothe left end of a block |28 which liesgenerally behind and at the same level as rod 91 and has at its rightend a collar |29 surrounding and fixed to the rod91. Link |24 runsgenerally parallel to and at somewhat a lower level than rod 91 and atits left end is pivoted at I3| to the lower end of the vertical arm of abellcrank lever |32. Lever V,|32 has a horizontal arm the free end ofwhich-is pivoted at |33 to a short link |34 the upper end of which ispivoted in turn to the lower end of a relatively long link |36. At itsupper end, link |36 is pivotally connected to a short link |31 rwhich ispivoted in turn to a pin |39 (Figs.,2 and 3) on cam 61. It will be'seentherefore that as rod 91 moves toward the left as viewed in Fig. 8, itnot only shifts the cam follower 45 into position to cooperate with thecam 40 to cause a movement of'actuatcr 41 suitable to a wideningmovement of spindles 34 and 39 but also swings bell-crank lever |32 sothat its horizontal arm lifts link |36 to swing'cams 61 and 68 in theclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. l and to thereby position theracking pawls forspindlcs 34 and 36 properly for a widening.movement ofthe spindles at thefsame time that cam 40 is in action to produce such amovement of actuator 41. The arrangement described for operating link|36 and 'thereby control cams 61 and 69 from link 91 is novel andadvantageous in' that the operation of the vertical link does 'notdepend on the movement of the follower 45 and the lever 93 as is thecase in mechanisms having the equivalent of the vertical link I 36 forthe control cams at the front of the machine. Therefore,` it is feasibleto disconnect the rod 91 from the lever 93 when it is desired to do so.`It `will be understood that plate type control cam-i768 is `so formedthat it permits widening pawl 53 to turn spindle 36 only a distance ofone needle. Therefore, pawl 54 is normally in action. when widening isperformed to step spindle 36 another needle on the downstroke ofactuator 41, this being desired to maintain the points on the combs`inthe same position relative to the'end stops.`

As above mentioned when a narrowing action of the actuator 41,is,de`sired, the pattern chain merely throws into action the means forshogging the camshaft 39 to the right without permitting or causing anaction' of the control lever |09. Shaft 38,v therefore, shifts to theright and thereby brings cam 39 into the plane of follower 45 as itstands in Fig. 8 so that'narrowing cam 39 delivers an impulse to theactuator.` No motion of link |36 having been caused by lever |09, rod 91and the connecting train cf mechanism, cams 61 and 68 remain inthe'positions shown `in Figs. l and 2 and prevent widening pawls 5| and53 from acting while, actuator 41` having been elevated by cam 39 asshown in Fig. 2, narrowing pawls 50 and 52 act on their respectiveratchet wheels as shown 4in Fig. 2 to turn spindles 34 and 35 twoneedles in the clockwise or narrowing direction.

,It long been the custom to provide indeiring llf means including Adialssuch as"|4|"and |42 for spindles 34 and 36 respectively, said dialshaving notched edgesffonreceiving vthe lower bevelled endsy of lspringvpressed locking plungers |43 and |44 respectively to'hold the 'spindles34 and 36 indefinite indexed relation to the needles in the needle rows.However, onlydial |4| for spindle 34 has substantially square orrectangular notches, dial |42- -havingvshaped notches. Therefore, pawls52', 53 and 54 can turn spindle 36 without need of lifting plunger |44from dial |42, but dial |4| has a locking action when 'plunger 43 isfirmly seated i'n its`notches so that plungerv |43' must be liftedl outof the notch it was in contact with beforeV pressure is applied tothepawl50 or 5|. For this purpose, rock lever 62, to which pawl I) ispivoted, is made ofv bell-crank form and pivotally .mounted on spindle34 as well as pivotallyrconnected to. actuator 41 at point 64 sothatvthe said lever turns clockwise about the spindle as the actuatorrisesand turns counterclockwiseA asv the 4actuator descends. Lever .62,shown` principally i-n dotted'lines in Figs. 2 and 3, has adownwardlyextending arm to which pawl 50 is pivoted at |41.` .iLever.62 `hasalsoan upwardly extending arm toiwhicha cam plate `|48 is attached;Plate;A |48 has an upwardly projecting lug |49 thereon having inclinedsides. which act as'cam edges against the bevelled ends of a plunger|45, bestshown inFigs. 2 and 5, to lift the plunger |43 by 'contact ofthe upper end of plunger |45 with 'a screw on the under side of a lever|46 pivoted slightly above and to the rear of the top of plunger |45andprojectingforwardly so as to engage in ai groove in the upper end ofplunger |43.: Furthenilever |46r projects outwardly beyond the plunger|43 and has -a spring |50 attached between its outer end and a fixedpoint' below the end of the arm'so that the arm is urged downwardly bythe spring and maintains plungers |43 and |45 respectively in contactwiththedial. |4.I. and the lug-|49 on arm plate-|48. Therefore,lever-|46fliftsthe plunger |43 each time'lever 62" passes the central-portion of its path and allowsfthe plunger to move down into engagementwithfdial-|4|ywhen'the lever moves towardtheend of 'its path solas toengage in notches in the edge of dial I4 I Specialcontrols are providedso that the pawls for' thev comb spindle 36 mayallbe thrown out ofaction at-times.=;F or this purpose, a finger is provided'onthe outernut-on eachucomb spindle which automatically vmoves under 4paw-,1 52V soas to disableitwhen the-nut approaches the outer end of its path. Suchfinger is-shown'only di- I agrammatically -at- I 5 (Fig. ,3)- because itforms perse-noA partof thev present invention. Similarly, anger|52is-1provided to. disable widening pawl`z53-ffor; spindle 36.vFinger.-.I52 is fixed. to the outer nutinot shown) on spindle` `36 'andso placed with' respect thereto that as thevnutapproachesthe-outerend`ofitspath, finger |52 comes-.into contact with the .pawl-:to hold itout-off active, position. -Furthen-so that backracking pawl 5 4 maybedisabled also, a collar |53 is providedon the rod-69,(Figs. 2, 3, 13and 14) and. fixed thereto.. in position such that a lever |54` pivotedon collar l |53. at |.56may .be turned to hold pawl 54 out ofaction.Lever |54 is connected at its 4free end to one endA of afthrowover orsnap springel51, the other-end of which is connected vto-collar |53 at:point |58 which is soplacedthat spring Y|51holds leverA |54 in eitherthe position shown in Figs. 2 and 3 Qimlhm ShoWninrFig;.13. :ivf i i* f.is employed which is pivotally mounted on the.

.rier rod or rods strike the end stops.

In the position ofA the parts as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, pawl 54 will`act on its ratchet wheel whenever lpermitted by link 8|. When, however,the attendant throws lever |54 over into the position of Fig. 13, thelever prevents pawl 54 from coacting with its ratchet to affect spindle36. Such disabling of all the pawls for spindle 33 is carried out onlywhen lace fabric is being made by the use of a special lace attachment,a situation 'more fully discussed hereinbelow.

When the apparatus is to kbe operated under condition (c) mentionedhereinabove and widening is to be carried outl by the carrier rods andend stops alone, the rod 91 is operated as previously described inresponse to withdrawal of lever I I8 from beneath lever |69, therebyshr'ftng link |36 to move cams 61 and 68 into position to thrownarrowing pawls 56 and 52 out of action and to permit widening pawls 5|,53 and 54 to operate as shown in Fig. 3. As the Widening is to becarried out entirely by the carrier rods and end stops, the patternchain does not throw the means for shogging cam shaft 38 into operationand, further, the narrowing machine is not dipped, a dipping action ofthe narrowing machine and therefore of the combs carried therebyoccurring only when the cam shaft 38 is in its right hand or narrowingposition. Further, follower 45 must be shifted by lever 33 under suchconditions to cause the movement of the actuator 41 by cam 40 so theactuator and pawl movements may come during the rst or coulieringportion of the camshaft cycle. The parts 63 and |36 being connected torod 91 as previously described, the operation of rod 91 in response tooperation of lever ||8 by the pattern chain causes the follower 45 toshift to cooperate with cam 40 at the same time that cams 61 and 68 areshifted by link |36 to throw the narrowing pawls out of active position.Pawl 5|, however, acts on the upstroke of the actuator 41 to turn thespindle 34 two needles in the widening direction. Pawl 53, on the otherhand, is held by cam 68 so that it can move spindle 36 only oneneedleper operation of actuator 41 on the upstroke of the actuator. In o-rderthat the combs may maintain a given desired relation to the end stops,the pawl 54 is put into action during widening by the end stops andgives the spindle 36 a second step of one needle in the wideningdirection on the downstroke of actuator 41. However, as the combs arenot dipped such widening movements of spindle 36 are idling movements.This situation is in general that mentioned hereinabove as condition (c)It will be noted as to said condition (c), however, that as the camshaft has not shifted and actuator 41 is operated by cam 40, theactuator moves upward during the first part 'of the cycle of the shaft38 during the period the yarn carrier rods and the carriers thereon arelaying yarns. It follows that the plunger |43 is fully removed from anynotch in disk |4| at the time the car- Therefore, the impacts of therods tend to shift the spindle 34` beyond the desired point to which itwas turned by pawl 5|. To prevent this, a pawl IBI outer end of shaft 84and which is arranged to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel 51 toprevent the spindle from turning in the widening direction except whenthe pawl I6I is lifted. For lifting pawl IBI at the pro-per time, anarrangement is provided best shown in Figs. 2, 3, 10, 11 and l2 andcomprising an arm |62 fixed to lever 62 in the rear of plate |48 andhaving an upturned finger |63 at its left end as viewed in Fig. 2 towhich a movable finger or lever |64 is pivoted at |66 to turn freely onits pivot. The left edge |61 of nger |63 is planed off straight at aboutright angles to the length of arm |62 and finger |64 has a pin |68 fixedtherein about midway of its length and projecting therefrom, the pin |68being biased against the straight edge |61 by a spring |10, one endbeing anchored to the pin |68 and the other end to a pin |14 on the arm|62 so as to determine the position of the finger |64. The nger |64 isfree to turn clockwise against the action of spring |16 when pressure isapplied to its lower edge. Pawl 6| has a pin or short bolt |69 fixedthereto intermediate its ends which projects into the path of aprojection |16 which is fixed to and stands out laterally from pivotedfinger |64. When pawl |6| is in engagement with a tooth of its ratchetwheel and lever 62 is turned counterclockwise by a downstroke ofactuator 41, bolt |69 first lifts finger |64 and then allows it to dropbelow the level of the bolt. The parts are so arranged that as actuator41 begins its next upward stroke nger |64 engages bolt |69 and liftspawl I6 free of its ratchet. By the time the cam |49 has lifted plunger|43 enough to permit its dial to turn, pawl has engaged a tooth of theratchet wheel 58. pawl 50 being out of commission due to cam 61. Asactuator 41 continues to rise, pawl 5| turns spindle 34 two needles.However, as the actuator rises lever 62 moves more to the right asviewed in Figs. 2 and 3 so that pawl |6| drops olf the pointed free endof finger |64 into engagement with the ratchet 51 before the end of theupward movement of pawl 5|. This is just before the yarn carrier rodsstrike the end stops, so that the spindle is held against turning bypawl |6| at the moments of impact. As actuator 41 reaches the extremelimit of its upward movement plunger |43 passes off the lug portion |49of plate |48 so that the plunger seats in a notch in dial |4| to lockthe spindle 34. This however, is of importance principally in narrowingoperations as pawl |6| holds spindle 34 sufficiently during wideningmovements. On the return movement of the actuator, cam |49 again liftsplunger |43 to release the dial |4|. At this time, however, there isnothing which will act to force the spindle beyond the point to whichthe pawl turned it and the plunger quickly seats itself again. As theactuator 41 moves downward, arm |52 moves counterclockwise as viewed inFigs. 2 and 3 carrying finger |64 against pin |69, first lifting finger|64 and then letting it drop below the pin.

The pawl |6| is provided with an extension |59 having pivoted thereto alink |69 which is provided with a slot |65 and which forms with a pin|15, carried on the pawl 56. a lost motion connection between the pawls58 and |6| With this arrangement when the spindle 34 is to be manuallyturned to move the nut 35 outwardly to its startino: position. the pawl5!) is manually turned in a counterclockwise direction to release thepawl 5l! from the ratchet 51 which action engages the pin |15 with theright end of the link 66 thereby also releasing the pawl |6| from theratchet 51 during said manually repositioning of the spindle 34.

Another situation which occurs with more or less frequency in theoperation of full-fashioned knitting machines is the one in which it isdesired to widen the fabric by the combined effects of the point combsand the yarn carrying rods. This is the situation mentioned hereinaboveas situation or condition (d). In this case, the connection between thefollower 45 and rod 91 is interrupted by loosening the collars 96 on rod91 so that the rod 91 can move without affecting shift lever 93. Then,in order to prevent accidental movement of follower 45, it may be lockedin place of its shaft by a member |1| shown in Fig. 8 in dot and dashlines and which is held in place by a screw |12, piece |1| `having aflange which extends into a groove |13 on the hub of follower 45 to lockthe follower in place Yon its lever 4|. However, the form of the meansfor preventing accidental movement of follower 45 is immaterial.Therefore, when the cam shaft 38 is shifted to its narrowing position inresponse to action of the pattern chain, follower 45 cooperates with cam39 to raise and lower actuator 41. At the same time or before the shaft38 shifts, the pattern chain operates to throw the lever ||8 out fromunder the front end of lever |69 so that rod 91 is operated to shift thecams 61 and 68 to disable the narrowing pawls and to throw the wideningpawls 5|, 53 and 54 into action. As the cam shaft has shifted, thenarrowing machine will be dipped, assuming the narrowing machine hasbeen lowered to rest its weight on the cam shaft and the combs have beenset in proper relation to the selvage loops, and pawl 53 will shift thespindle 36 so that the combs will transfer the edge loops one needlespace in the widening direction. At the same time, pawl 5| will shiftthe spindle 34 so as to move the end stops two needles. On thedownstroke of the actuator 41, pawl 54 will shift spindle 36 anotherneedle distance to maintain the combs in the same relative position tothe end stops as at the beginning of the cycle. The cam shaft 38 then,of course, is shifted back to knitting position so that yarn is laid tothe needles on the next revolution of the shaft and a widened course isthen knitted.

A third situation for which the apparatus according to the presentinvention is adapted and which occurs with more or less frequency in theoperation of full-fashioned knitting machines is the one in which lacemaking is carried on. This is the situation mentioned hereinabove assituation or condition (eh. In lace making the spindle 36 is putcompletely out of operation, the fashioning combs mentioned hereinbeforefor widening and narrowing being moved out of the knitting field and alace comb having lace making points thereon being thrown into positionto act on the fabric loops on the needles when the narrowing machine isdipped. The spindle 36 therefore should remain idle during lace makingand therefore, before lace is begun, it is turned to its` extremeposition injthe widening direction by a hand lever which can be engagedwith the end of the spindle. In this position. all the pawls for spindle36 are out of commission and held so as hereinbefore explained, so thatthere is no danger that the spindle 36 will be moved until it is desiredthat it should be. In this position pawl 52 is prevented from acting onspindle 36 by stop |5| on the outer nut on spindle 36 and pawl 53 inglace makingcam 39 will'th'en-be brought into the plane of follower t sothat actuator 4l' will be ca `ried through an up and down cycle. Also,the cam t'l will be in the correct position for a narrowing operation tobe performed by pawl 5R, since cams 5'! and 68 are normally held by rodSi' and link |36 in the positions to cause narrowing. tVhen widening isto be performed on a section of fabric containing lace lever H8 iscpcrated in a knitting cycle, that is when main cam shaft 38 is notshifted, to throw cam Sl `into position to throwfnarrowing pawl Sil outof action and to permit widening pawl 5i to act on spindle 35i, at thesame time that follower 45 is moved to cooperate with cam 40 aspreviously described. When neither narrowing or widening is desired inmaking a section of fabric containing lace, follower 45 must be shiftedto a position intermedia-te those for narrowing and widening so thatactuator 41 will not be reciprocated. For so moving follower 5, rod 91is moved by the pattern controlled cam and lever shown in Figs. 8 and 9.Therefore, at such times, the pattern chain throws lever HS out fromunder lever HBS and moves the lever H8 for actuating rod 91 and the rod9'! moves the follower 45 to right and left in step with cam shaft 318,so that follower 45 keeps between cams 39 and 4B while the actuatorlland the spindles 34 and 3E are all prevented from moving.

The widening operations listed hereinabove as "(e), and (b) beingperformed by the present mechanism in the usual way will not be furtherdescribed. l

Of course, the improvements speciiically shown and described by whichthe above results are obtained, can be changed and modified in variousways without departing from the invention herein disclosed andhereinafter claimed. e

I claim as my invention:

l. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, th combination of a series ofyarn carrier rods, stops for said rods, a threaded spindle for movingsaid .stops in response to rotative movements of the spindle. meansincluding an actuator for racking said spindle on the upstroke of saidactuator in either the narrowing direction or the widening direction asdesired, indexing means holding said spindle during non-fashioningknitting but apt tcbe out of action at the time of impact of said rodswhen widening solely by said rods, and means for holding the spindleagainst movements in the widening direction in response to impact ofsaid rods.

2. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, the combination with a seriesof yarn carrier rods, stops for said rods, a threaded spindle for movingsaid stops in response to rotative movements of the spindle, means forracking said spindle to move said stops in either the narrowingdirection or the widening direction as desired including ratchet wheelsand racking pawls therefor, a latch pawl for cooperating with one ofsaid wheels to prevent movement of said spindle in the wideningdirection in response to the action of said rods on said stops, andmeans to lift the latch pawl when racking the spindle in the wideningdirection.

3. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, the

cluding an actuating member having an up and down movement and anarrowing pawl and a widening pawl pivoted thereon and arranged alwaysto turn the spindle on the upstroke of said actuating member, a latchpawl cooperating with said means to prevent movement of said spindleinthe widening direction in response to the action of said rods on saidstops, and means to lift said latch pawl when racking the spindle in thewidening direction.

4. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, the combination of a series ofyarn carrier rods, stops for said rods, a threaded spindle, a nut onsaid spindle for moving said stops in response to rotative movements ofsaid spindle, means for racking said spindle in either the narrowingdirection or the widening direction as desired including an actuatorhaving an up and down movement and a narrowing pawl and a widening pawlpivoted `thereon and arranged to always turn the spindle wideningdirection in response to impact of saidr rods, and a one way actuatingmeans lifting said latch pawl only at the time the spindle is beginninga rotative movement.

5. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, the combination of a series ofyarn carrier rods, stops for said rods, a threaded spindle, a nut onsaid spindle for moving said stops in response to rotative movements ofthe Spindle, means for racking said spindie to move said nut in eitherthe narrowing direction or the widening direction as desired includingratchet wheels and racking pawls therefor, an actuator having an up anddown movement, a latch pawl cooperating with one of said ratchet wheelsto prevent movement of said spindle in the widening direction inresponse to the action of said rods on said stops, and means for liftingsaid latch pawl near the beginning of the upstroke of the actuator anddropping it before said upstroke is completed.

6. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, the combination with a seriesof yarn carrier rods, stops for said rods, a threaded spindle, a nut onsaid spindle for moving said stops in response to rotative movements ofsaid spindle, means for racking said spindle to move said nut in eitherthe narrowing direction or the widening direction as desired includingratchet wheels, an actuator, and racking pawls thereon for said wheels,a latch pawl cooperating with one of said wheels to prevent movement ofsaid spindle in thewidening direction in response to the action of saidrods on said stops, and means lifting said latch pawl including apivoted finger arranged to move up on the upstroke of the actuator toengage and lift the latch pawl but moving free of the pawl to permit thepawl to drop while the finger is still moving up, said nger turning onits pivot on the downstroke of the actuator to drop below latch pawl.

7. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, the combination of a series ofyarn carrier rods, stops for said rods, a threaded spindle, a nut onsaid spindle for moving said stops in response to .rotative movements ofthe spindle, means for racking said spindle in either the narrowingdirection or the widening direction as desired including an actuatorhaving an up and down movement and Va narrowing pawl and a widening pawlpivoted thereon and arranged to act always on the upstroke of theactuator, a latch pawl to prevent movement of the spindle in thewidening direction, a pivoted finger arranged to move up on the upstrokeof the actuator to engage and lift the latch pawl but moving free of thepawl to permit the pawl to drop while the nger is still moving up, saidfinger turning on its pivot on the downstroke of the actuator to dropbelow the latch pawl.

8. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, the combination with a seriesof yarn carrier rods,

stops for said rods, a threaded spindle, a nut on said spindle formoving said stops in response to rotative movements of said spindle,means for racking said spindle to move said nut in either the narrowingdirection or the widening direction as desired including ratchet wheelson the spindie, an actuator having an up and down movement, and rackingpawls for said wheels on said actuator, a latch pawl cooperating withone of said wheels to prevent movement of said spindle in the wideningdirection in response to the action of said rods on said stops, an armpivoted on said spindle, a spring pressed member for holding saidspindle from turning in either direction except as desired, a cam onsaid arm lifting the spring pressed member, and a linger pivoted on saidarm for lifting said latch pawl on the upstroke of the actuator, saidnger arranged to engage and lift the pawl in moving upward but movingfree of thepawl to permit it to drop while the finger is still movingup, said finger turning Y on its pivot on the downstroke of the actuatorto drop below the latch pawl.

9. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, the combination of a combspindle, an end stop spindle, means for turning said spindles in eitherthe narrowing direction or the widening direction as desired comprisingratchets on said spindles and two pawls for each spindle together with athird pawl for said comb spindle for acting in the widening direction,cam means throwing out of action either the two narrowing pawls or thetwo widening pawls for said spindles as desired, and means movingsynchronously with said cam means for throwing out of action said thirdpawl for the comb spindle.

10. In a knitting machine of the type having a narrowing machine, thecombination of a series of yarn carrier rods, stops for said rods, athreaded spindle for moving said stops, point combs, a threaded spindlefor moving said combs, means including an actuator member having an upand down motion and pawls, two for said first spindle and two for saidsecond spindle, all acting on the upstroke of the actuator member forturning said spindles, a third pawl for the second spindle arranged toact on the downstroke of the actuator member to maintain the combs indesired relation to the end stops when the narrowing machine is out ofaction in a cycle involving operation of said spindles, and means forholding the end stop spindle against movements in the widening directionin response to impact of said rods on said stops following the times theend stop spindle is racked in the widening direction.

l1. In a full-fashioned knitting machine of a type having a narrowingmachine, the combination of a series of yarn carrier rods, stops forsaid rods, a threaded spindle for moving said stops, point combs, athreaded spindle for moving said combs, means for turning said spindlesincluding an actuator member having an up and down motion in use andpawls, two for said first spindle and two for said second spindle allacting on the upstroke of the actuator member, a third pawl for saidsecond spindle arranged to act on the downstroke of the actuator memberto maintain the combs in desired relation to the end stops when thenarrowing machine is out of action in a cycle involving operation ofsaid spindles, indexing means holding said first spindle duringnonfashioning knitting but out of action during widening when thenarrowing machine is out of action, and means for holdingr said rstspindle against movements in the widening direction in response toimpact of said rods on said stops.

12. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, the combination with a seriesof yarn carrier rods, stops for said rods, a threaded spindle for movingsaid stops in response to rotative movements of the spindle, a pointcomb, a threaded spindle for moving said'comb, means for racking saidspindles to move said stops and said comb in either the narrowingdirection or the widening direction as desired including ratchet wheelsand racking pawls two for said rst spindle and two for said secondspindle together with a third pawl for the second spindle, one of saidsecond two pawls and said third pawl acting on said second spindle tomaintain said comb inthe desired relation to the end stops when wideningby the combined comb and end stop action, an actuator for driving saidpawls, a cam shaft having two cams xed thereon for thrusting saidactuator, a cam follower for transmitting thrusts from said cams to saidactuator, and means for shifting said follower from one cam to the otherand for also controlling said pawls to determine the direction ofrotation of said spindles, said means adjustable to permit said followerto cooperate with one of said cams only while using both spindles forwidening fabric.

13. The method of operating a full-fashioned knitting machine having anarrowing head including end stops, a spindle for operating said endstops, a point comb, a spindle for operating said comb, means includingpawls for turning said spindles in either the narrowing direction or inthe widening direction, and indexing means for said spindles which isout of action during yarn laying for widening, comprising the steps ofwidening fabric during a knitting cycle by throwing out of action thepawls for turning said spindles in the narrowing direction, turning saidend stop spindle in the widening direction during yarn layingso that theyarn carrier rods strike the end stops while said end stop spindle isreleased from its indexing means, and preventing turning of the end stopspindle by the impact of the rods.

14. In a method of operating a full-fashioned knitting machine having anarrowing head including end stops for carrier rods, a spindle formoving said stops, a point comb, a spindle for moving said comb, pawland ratchet means for racking said spindles in either the narrowingdirection or the widening direction as desired, a latch pawl for saidfirst spindle cooperating with a ratchet of said means, and an indexingmeans for said spindles which is out of action during yarn laying forwidening, the steps comprising widening fabric during a knitting cycleby preventing said pawl and ratchet means from turning said spindles inthe narrowing direction, turning said end stop spindle by said means inthe widening direction during yarn laying so that the carrier rodsstrike said end stops while said end stop spindle is released from itsindexing means, lifting said latch pawl out of latching position topermit the end stop spindle to be racked, and dropping said latch pawlinto latching position i9 prior to the impact of the yarn carrier rodsagainst the end stops.

15. In a Yfull-fashioned knitting machine, the combination of anarrowing head having an end stop spindle and a comb spindle, anactuator having an up and down motion and having pawls connected theretofor racking said spindles in either the narrowing direction or thewidening direction as desired, a main cam shaft having cams thereon foroperating said actuator, one cam for fashioning cycles and one cam forknitting cycles, a cam follower for cooperating with said cams one at atime, a lever for shifting said follower rfrom a positionfor cooperatingwith one of said cams to a position for cooperating with the other ofsaid cams and also for shifting said follower at times to prevent itfrom cooperating with either `of said cams, means for controlling saidpawls, a rod for operating said follower shifting lever and foroperating said pawl controlling means and lseparately connected to each,and a readily disconnectible connection between said follower shiftinglever and said rod, whereby said rod may operate said pawl controllingmeans by itself when desired.

16. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, the combination as set forthin claim l together with pattern controlled means for shifting the maincam shaft from knitting to fashioning position, and pattern controlledmeans for moving the rod longitudinally of itself when the cam shaft isin either knitting or fashioning position.

17. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, in combination, a series ofyarn carrier rods, stops for said rods, a threaded spindle for movingsaid stops in response to rotative movements of the spindle, means forracking said spindle to move said stops in either the narrowingdirection or the widening direction as desired including van actuatorhaving an up and down motion, ratchet wheels and racking pawls thereforacting all on the upstroke of said actuator, a pivoted latch pawl forcooperating with one of said wheels to prevent movement of said spindlein the widening direction in response to the action of said rods on saidstops, an arm fixed to said latching pawl extending on the opposite sideof its pivot, the .pawl for racking said spindle in the narrowingdirection having an arm extending on the opposite side of its pivot, anda link connected to said arms and affording a lost motion connectiontherebetween for racking operationsbut arranged so that turning saidracking pawl on its pivot to va certain extent lifts said latch pawlfrom its ratchet.

18. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, in combination, a series ofyarn carrier rods, stops for said rods, a threaded spindle for movingsaid stops in response to rotary movements of said spindle, means forracking said spindle to move said stops in either the narrowingdirection or the Widening direction as desired including ratchet wheelsand pivoted racking pawls therefor, a pivoted arm turning on its pivotin response to changes in position of said end stops, the pawl forracking said spindle in the widening direction having an arm extendingon :the other side 1of its pivot from the end which engages the ratchet,and a link connecting said arms and affording a lost motion connectiontherebetween during racking operations of the widening pawl butmaintaining the widening pawl free of its ratchet when saidstops are incertain positions.

19. VIn a full-fashioned knitting machine including a main cam shaftadapted to occupy both knitting and fashioning positions, -yarn carrier2O rods, a point comb and a narrowing head having end stops for saidrods, and spindles for moving said'stops and comb, the combination withsaid head of operating and controlling means thereforr capable ofadjustment to adapt the head for widening fabric by the end stops andcarrier rods v with the cam shaft in knitting position, for widening by`joint action of the comb and end stops, with Vthe cam shaft vinfashioning position, and for lacemaking opera-tions with the cam shaftin fashioning position and the spindles of the head operating in eitherdirection in lace making cycles, and pattern controlled means fordetermining the position of said cam shaft for knitting or fashioningand the direction of movement of said spindles. v

20. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, in combination, "end stops, anend stop spindle, a comb spindle, means for turning said spindles ineither the widening or narrowing Vdirection as desired including an'actuator having an up Iand down motion, apawl for racking said rstspindle in `the `widening rdirectionon the upstroke of said actuator, apawl forracking said second spindle in the widening direction on thedownstroke of said actuator, means for controlling said first pawl tohold it out nof action during narrowing, means for controlling saidsecond pawl to prevent it from acting at certain positions of `said endstops, and a link between saidrst pawl and said second control meansaording a lost motion connection for Anormal operation of Vthe rst .pawlbut ,preventing operation "thereof in casesaid second pawl is held outof action by said second control means, irrespective of the position ofsaid rst 'control means.

21. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, the combination of `a Ycombspindle, an end stop spindle, means for turning "said spindles in eitherthe narrowing `direction or the widening direction as' desiredcomprising Vratchets on said spindles and two pawls foreach 'spindletogether with a third pawl for said comb spindle Vfor acting in thewidening direction, cam means 'throwing out of action either the twonarrowing pawls or the two widening pawls'for said spindles as desired,and means supported on ap'ortion of said cam me'ans'for throwing out ofactionsaid thirdpawl for -the comb spindle.

22. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, the combination of a combspindle, an end stop spindle, means for turning said spindles in eitherthe narrowing direction orthe widening direction as desired comprising'ratchets on said spindles and twoY pawlsfor each spindle .together'witha third pawl for said comb spindle 'for acting in the wideningdirection, cam means for throwing out of action eitherV the? twonarrowing Ypawls or the two wideningpawls 'for 'said spindles asdesired, including a cain for each of .said spindles and a rod'transverse 'to the spindles connecting said cams, and-means supportedonsaid rodfor throwing out of action said third pawl Vfor the combspindle.

23. In a 'full-'fashioned knitting machine, the

combination of a comb spindle, an end stopspindie, means for'turning-said spindles in .either .the narrowing direction or thewidening direction as desired comprising ratchets onv said spindles andtwo pawls 'for each spindle together with a .third pawl yfor said combspindle for acting in the widening direction, cam means Vfor throwingout of action either the twonarrowing pawls or the two widening pawls asdesired including a cam for each of said spindles and a connecting rod21 between said cams, and a throw over latch on said rod adapted toprevent said third pawl from acting on the comb spindle.

24. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, the combination of a narrowinghead having an end stop spindle and a comb spindle, an actuator havingan up and down motion and having pawls connected thereto for rackingsaid spindles in either the narrowing direction or the wideningdirection as desired, means for controlling said pawls to cause eithernarrowing or widening movements as desired, a rod extending along theback of the machine and movable longitudinally thereof, a bell-cranklever operated by said rod and a link extending from said lever to saidcontrolling means for operating the controlling means and lyinggenerally at the rear of the machine. i

25. In a full-fashioned knitting machine, the combination with a seriesof yarn carrier rods, of stops for said rods. a threaded spindle, meansfor racking said spindle to move said stops in either the narrowingdirection or the widening direction as desired including ratchet wheelsand REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the fileof this patentz' UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,081,185Schletter May 25, 1937 2,109,140 Richter et a1 Feb. 22. 1938 2,178,319Bitzer Oct. 31, 1939 2,198,559 Held Apr. 23. 1940

